The South Bend Common Council passed a resolution Monday night supporting the nationwide Medicare for All program and the Health Care Emergency Guarantee Act in response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The resolution is meant to send a message to Indiana Congress members that South Bend supports universal health care during the coronavirus pandemic and after.
6th District Council Member Sheila Niezgodski says while she normally wouldn’t be pro medicaid for all, the pandemic has brought on special circumstances that she believes call for extra assistance.
"I believe we have to protect our citizens," she says. "There should be some mechanism for them not to go bankrupt, lose a family member, due to loss of a job over a pandemic that was no fault of their own.”
The council resolution endorses the Health Care Emergency Act, which guarantees all residents full health coverage for any necessary health care until there’s a widely accessible COVID-19 vaccine.
It was passed seven to one with Republican council member Jake Teshka opposing the resolution.